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How does the National Marrow Donor Program work?
Created in 1986, the NMDP has worked to build a large database of donors with which to find "matches" of marrow
and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) to patients who suffer from diseases like leukemia, anemia, and other blood
related disorders. The program relies on regional affiliates, such as Florida Blood Services, to recruit donors who
are willing to donate marrow tissue, the substance found in the middle of bones, responsible for producing red cells,
white cells, and other blood components. In recent years, with adult blood stem cell research advancements, peripheral
blood stem cells, which are found within the marrow and blood stream, have been highly valuable to recipients with
life-threatening blood diseases. These are included in the registry to increase the percentages of finding a suitable
donor-patient match.
Once a suitable donor has been found in the registry and extensive testing been performed, the marrow or peripheral blood
stem cell donation is collected and distributed locally, nationally, and even internationally. Marrow/PBSC transplants
need nearly 50-75 units of whole blood and platelets to support each transplant.
How is Florida Blood Services involved?
Since 1993, Florida Blood Services (FBS) has served as the Southwest Florida NMDP regional donor center, providing education,
recruitment, collection, and coordination services necessary to provide patients in need of the opportunity to receive a transplant.
Additionally, Florida Blood Services is a regional NMDP apheresis center, performing peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) collections.
Adult PBSC collections previously constituted only five percent of the NMDP registry, but now, as medical research makes strides in
the related usages of blood stem cells, the number has grown to a ninety-five percent prevalence.
Over 200 transplants are facilitated annually in the Tampa Bay area at Moffitt Cancer Center and St. Petersburg's All Children's
Hospital. Florida Blood Services' Marrow Department, known as "Team Marrow", as of September 2003, has successfully facilitated
141 transplants, completing donor marrow collections in conjunction with Moffitt Cancer Center and peripheral blood stem cell
donor collections at FBS Main, located at 10100 Dr. Martin Luther King St. North in St. Petersburg.
Locally, 32,000 donors have been recruited, tested, and registered onto the registry. The success of the program lies in donor
commitment. Team Marrow focuses energies on recruiting and educating on the need for marrow and PBSC donations. Once a person
has committed and given the initial blood donation for HLA-testing, they must continue to be willing and accessible to donate.
Team Marrow spends the majority of their time maintaining the donor registry to ensure that at the critical moment, donors can
be found and the donation process completed, giving the Gift of Life!
As a donor center for the National Marrow Donor Program, FBS is a member of a military contingency mission that, in the incident
of a mass casualty situation involving chemical or radiation exposure, or other industrial accidents, military casualties may be
rescued using HLA matched PBSC from donors registered through Florida Blood Services. With a close proximity to MacDill Air Force
base, a military strategic command center, FBS has a strategic responsibility to include military drives and response initiatives
to meet this Department of Defense contingency.
What is the focus now?
The focus of the program is always to increase the number of donors registered and to increase the diversity of the donors. The
National registry has approximately 5 million registered donors. Less than 30% are minorities! The uniqueness of blood stem
cells and marrow matches demand that as close a match as possible be found. With individual characteristics being inherited,
a recipient has the greatest chance of finding a suitable match within his/her own ethnic community.
Currently four programs, that are nationally instituted and locally implemented include: African Americans "Uniting for Life";
Asian/Pacific Islander "Donors Can Save Lives"; Hispanics "Giving Hope", and American Indian/Alaska Native "Keep the Circle Strong".
These programs take into account cultural nuances, including language and current health beliefs, to enhance volunteerism and education.
The number of transplants performed for minority patients has nearly tripled since 1995.
How can local community members becoming involved?
The 32,000 local donors already registered have committed to saving lives. Each month Team Marrow holds drives to increase donor
participation. When a person wants to become a donor, they must initially donate a sample of blood to be tested for HLA tissue typing.
Florida Blood Services utilizes the HLA-testing services of the National Marrow Donor Program at approximately $73 per donor. Currently,
funding for this cost, as well as the cost of recruitment, education, coordination, and more, has come through NMDP resources,
philanthropic donations to FBS, foundation grants, and FBS corporate partners who commit to supporting drives and employee donation
costs. As technological advances determine greater utilizations for these donations, the number of donors required will increase
dramatically, stressing the program funds even further.
To find out how you can become a marrow donor, visit our Marrow Donation page.
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